Semiconductor manufacturing includes various processes such as photolithography, etching, and diffusion. Functional density has increased by decreasing a geometric size of components for integrated chips. Such scaling down process enhances production efficiency and lowers associated manufacturing costs. Removing debris and by-products from equipment, photomasks and wafers helps to improve production yield.
In some approaches, a cleaning solvent such as deionized water is sprayed on a surface to remove particles accumulated on the surface. In some approaches, a solid shield is installed on a wafer transportation/storage pad during the manufacturing processes. In some approaches, loading and unloading of wafers are performed automatically by a sealed input/output tool such as a standard mechanical interface (SMIF) apparatus. In some approaches, clothing of a process operator is cleaned to reduce contamination from particles introduced into a manufacturing environment.